Emergence
by Azi
Summary: As the 'Sunshine of the Universe' and the 'Epitome of Innocence' Sakura lives a sheltered life with friends who always protect her, but she wants to be treated like a normal person. Will they see the light before they destroy what they're trying to save?
1. Routine

**Disclaimer: **Fear not, all ye readers of this story. I have not yet acquired possession of CCS. You may rest assured that the work of art is still in the hands of its creators (who are not me) **** ****

**NB:** Some credit must go to Sakuralight for her 'Journal', which proved to be an inspiration…not that I approve of being so negative on Sakura. That is, of course, why I had to write this. 

This whole chapter is written in Eriol's point of view. The names in between sections are merely dividers. 

Please sit back, relax, and enjoy. There will be more, I just can't promise when. I have a previous story to work on (that I can finally get back to). 

**_Emergence_**   
by Azi   
_Chapter 1:Routine_ ****

**Sakura**   
****   
**** I heard the doorbell ring and ran to answer. No one warned me about a visit so it could be just about anyone, but I had a feeling it was _her_.Poor girl. She always came to me when she was at her lowest. I let her cry and get her real problems off her chest. I let her get _them_ off her chest. I always thought it ironic that her real problems were caused by the people who considered her the 'sunshine of the universe' and the 'epitome of innocence.' I always heard all sides of the story. I was the sounding board. They call her innocent and sweet in one breath and then turn around and call her selfish in the next. "We give her everything and she doesn't even notice." I've heard that so many times now. She sees things differently though. "They take so much, Eriol. They don't understand what they're doing. They take my experiences, my worries, my freedom and my choices. Why can't they let _me_ live _my_ life?" She usually follows that with another round of sobs. 

True to my expectations, when I opened the door, she was standing there. Light tears were slowly dripping down her cheeks, very similar to the light drizzle falling from the clouds. I pulled her inside, not wanting her to get sick – she was the only one who cared. We both thought that, but it was only true for me. They cared about her; they just didn't understand her. 

She wrapped her arms around my neck and cried on my shoulder. "Oh, Eriol. Why do they do that?" Like every other time, I whispered comforting words and led her to someplace she could sit. I would answer her questions or let her talk until her tears faded. Today, that might take a while. Like the rain outside, her sobs intensified. I always wondered if she had a connection to the weather. Every time she was really upset, it poured. I choked back a small fit of laughter and Sakura looked up at me with a hint of anger in her eyes. Her weeping had ceased. "Just what do you find so funny." Her voice was harsher than most would associate with such a sweet angel, but I've heard worse. 

I looked at her with a grin, one that showed I had been thinking something evil. "I was merely thinking how sad it is that they would have to cancel their picnic. If only they knew it was their own fault." 

She looked at me, not fully understanding what I meant – her confusion showing clearly in her eyes. "Hoe?" 

I smiled at her, this time nicely. Soon she would be willing to talk about her problems. "I have come to the conclusion, my sweet Sakura, that the weather responds to your emotions. When you are happy, we live in a world full of sunshine. When you are sad…when you cry, we have rain. It's been raining an awful lot lately, Sakura-chan. Is there something you want to talk about?" I knew it would take her a while to respond, she was thinking about what I said. 

"Why do they do that, Eriol? Why wouldn't Li-kun let me think for myself? Why does Mei Lin-chan never tell me anything? Why don't they let me find things out on my own?" Her words were punctuated by the occasional sniff. 

I hugged her close again. "They are trying to protect you Sakura-chan. They don't understand what they're really doing." 

"I don't want bodyguards, Eriol! I want friends," she snapped at me. This was a tone of voice no one ever heard except me – and maybe Touya. She always hid her anger and frustration from everyone else; she was too afraid of hurting someone's feelings. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you, it's not your fault. It's just that I want them to let me help them. I want them to talk to me. I want them to confide in me. I want," her lips trembled, showing she was close to tears again. "I want them to trust me." 

That's it! That's the key to today's problems: they did something to make her feel they didn't trust her. I stood up, pulling her up with behind me. I rested one hand on her waist and continued to clasp her hand with my mother one. She placed her free hand on my shoulder and we began to dance – there was after all a custom to keep up. "So Sakura-chan, shall we discuss today's events? We do need something to talk about while we dance." I tried to sound casual, as if it didn't matter if we talked about it or not. 

The first hint of a smile crossed her face since she arrived. "Well, we are dancing." She left it at that for a few seconds. "I was actually on time for our picnic this morning. When I got there, Tomoyo-chan and Mei Lin were talking. I heard Tomoyo-chan say 'No, she's too sweet and naïve, they'd be all wrong for each other.' Then Mei Lin saw me and motioned got Tomoyo-chan to be quiet. They stopped talking as I sat down to join them. When I asked what they had been talking about, Tomoyo said that they had been discussing their math homework. I didn't think we had any, but I let it pass. 

"Li-kun showed up a few minutes later and interrupted Tomoyo-chan's raving about the latest outfit she made for me and how she'll tape me wearing it. I tried to thank him, but he just ignored me and talked to Mei Lin. I don't know why I even try to be his friend; he hates me. Anyway, a little while later, I asked Tomoyo-chan what the math homework was because I still didn't remember having any. Li-kun looked at me as if I was stupid and said that there wasn't any math homework. 

"I was confused because Tomoyo-chan always pays attention in class. She would know if there's homework or not. So I asked her what she and Mei Lin had been talking about. Mei Lin just snapped at me; she told me that it was none of my business. Then she – she said 'if we wanted your nose in our lives, we'd tell you about it.' I must have looked upset because Tomoyo looked at me and said, 'Sakura-chan, she didn't mean it like that. She just meant that our personal lives are no concern of yours.' 

"I couldn't believe my best friend thought that. I sat there dumbfounded for a little while then, finally, I looked at them all and told them that if I had known they didn't want me around, I wouldn't have bothered them with my presence. I got up and left, ignoring them calling after me. I feel guilty about leaving them there now." 

We stopped our dance and I made her look at me. "Don't feel guilty, daughter dear." Sakura smiled again, this time at the pet name, "Maybe that was just what they needed to remind them that you have feelings and aren't just a porcelain doll to be protected and dressed up." 

She nodded. "You're right. Maybe tomorrow things will be different. You know Eriol-kun, I'm a little tired. Do you mind if I take a small nap? I'll make you dinner when I get up." 

This, too, was part of our routine or custom. I laughed and held out my arm, "Of course, Sakura-chan. I know you tire easily. Let me show you to your room." She knows where her room is but she took my arm anyway. Following through with these little things always cheers her up. To be honest, it cheers me up too. 

I got her settled under a blanket and was leaving when she called me back. "Eriol? Who listens to your problems? Who do you talk to? I mean, you're so good to us. You let all of us come to you. We talk your ears off and you make everything all right for a few more days. Do you have anyone who will do that for you?" I shook my head, I hadn't thought about it before. "Would you let me try? We could talk during dinner." 

"Perhaps we will, Sakura-chan, but rest for now." I left her room, and closed the door. Before I went back downstairs, I warded the room so no one with magic could sense her aura.   
  
**** ****

**Tomoyo**   
****   
**** I made my way downstairs, thinking about my half-daughter and how to make her feel wanted and needed. I sat in my favorite chair and made myself comfortable, still thinking. Just as I was relaxing and beginning to take a small nap myself, the doorbell rang again. I had a feeling I knew who it was this time too. I sighed, then got up and opened the door to reveal Tomoyo. She looked really worried, like something terrible had happened or will happen, but there was a glint of annoyance in her eyes. She was definitely here about Sakura. I led her to my conservatory and we both sat on the piano bench. I gently started playing her favorite song – there was a routine to everything these days. "So, Daidouji-san, what brings you here? It's been at least a week." There was no way I was going to let her know that I already knew what happened today. That can only lead to bad things. 

She looked at me before answering; the glint of annoyance was now full force and it was echoed by anger. "She did it again! She just ran off during our picnic. She didn't tell us where she was going. She didn't thank us for the food. She didn't bother helping us carry the leftovers back to my house when it started to rain! We plan these picnics for her and she always finds a way to ruin them. She angered Mei Lin by trying to get her to talk about something private in front of Syaoran-kun. Really, sometimes I don't know why we try to keep her happy and sheltered. Her innocence is important, but really! Why can't she just have a little concern for her friends?" 

She sighed and placed her hands on the keys. We began playing 'our duet;' the one we always play when her mind is at unrest. "I'm worried about her, Hiiragizawa-kun. She left the picnic over an hour ago and she hasn't been home yet. Have you seen her at all today? It was raining so hard earlier, she could be soaked and getting sick. Something bad could happen to her." Tomoyo sighed again, "Why does she do this? Where could she be?" 

"I'm sure she's fine, Daidouji-san. She was here while it was raining. She had felt something and wanted to discuss it with me. The rain hadn't quite started when she arrived and it stopped before she left. She's probably on her way home now." I paused, hoping to whatever deity was listening that she – of all people – didn't catch me in this lie. Sakura was depending on me and I wouldn't let my half-daughter down. "I'm not sure which way she went though. She was exhausted after we figured things out, but she wouldn't let me walk her home." I must remember to call Fujitaka-san when Tomoyo leaves. 

"If she felt something, why didn't Syaoran-kun notice anything? He always notices when there's something happening with the Clow Cards. Why didn't he feel anything earlier?" The angel asked me, probably thinking exactly what I was hoping she wouldn't. 

I did some more quick thinking then smiled. "Ordinarily, he would have felt something, but this had nothing to do with the Cards. She's been experiencing fluctuations in her magic; we're trying to figure out what's happening. It could be that her magic is increasing. We need to keep it under control if it is. We don't need any problems with runaway magic." 

She nodded. "That makes sense. Why didn't she tell us about this? We are her friends, after all." 

"She didn't want to worry anyone." I almost sighed in relief as she made a motion that she accepted my answer, but I caught myself before I let it out. "Now, my dear Daidouji-san, can you tell me what you and Li-san were talking about? Or should that be kept from _my_ ears too?" 

She sighed and started to play a song by herself before speaking. "We were talking about Syaoran-kun. Mei Lin is really getting sick of his possessiveness. Well, not really possessiveness, it's more like he's obsessed with her or he _needs_ her. He hardly ever lets her out of his sight. It's like he's worried that if she leaves, she'll never come back. Anyway, we were trying to think of a girl who would go out with him to get him off Mei Lin's back. She mentioned Sakura, but I think she's too sweet for Syaoran.Suddenly, she stopped playing and clamped her hands over her mouth, "I shouldn't have told you that." 

I realized that that was what Sakura had overheard. No wonder they wouldn't tell her what they were talking about. "Not to worry Daidouji-san, I won't breathe a word of this to anyone. Now, perhaps you should be getting home. I wouldn't want your mother to worry about you." I offered her a hand up and guided her back to the door. Then, an idea hit me. "Would Sakura-chan and I be able to borrow your video camera for a few weeks? I think it might help a little." 

Tomoyo smiled, "Of course you can." She dug in her bag for a minute before pulling out her prized possession. "Here," she said as she handed her treasured camera to me. 

"Thank you, my dear. Now you go straight home and be careful on the way." 

"Yes father," she responded jovially as she gracefully walked out the door. 

I closed the door and leaned on it, sighing. Sometimes being near her for so long can be a little too much for me. Of course, I would never let anyone know that. After all, it's not like they would ever listen to me talk about myself anyway. Maybe Sakura; I have a feeling she would listen to me. Heck, she would listen to anyone; she so desperately wants someone to trust her enough to confide in her. Speaking of trust, I must uphold the 'family' duty. I called Sakura's father to tell him she'd be staying with me for dinner. 

I made up my mind to talk to her during dinner. Perhaps I would help her cook and discuss things then. Holding my angel's camera close, I sat down for another attempt at a nap.   
  


**Syaoran******

I must have been successful at falling asleep because just over an hour later I woke up to Sakura peering at me. I blinked a couple times to adjust my focus and found that she had stepped back and was grinning at me. I raised an eyebrow at her and questioned, "Just what are you grinning at daughter dear?" 

Her grin grew even wider and I began to wonder if I wanted to know the answer. "I was just thinking how cute you looked all curled up clutching Tomoyo-chan's camera while you slept." She almost stopped there but thought better of it, "Why _do _you have the camera anyway?" 

Oh, the trick girl! I couldn't yell at her or deny anything because she asked a question – manners dictate that I answer her. I scowled at her, letting her know I was displeased. "We are going to be doing projects in school and I thought we could use the camera to record life around us. Sort of to show what you can learn if you really pay attention. It's like Daidouji-san knows so much about what's going on. She spends all her time filming everything so she catches things the rest of us don't." 

Her grin turned evil, "You were drooling, you know." 

I narrowed my eyes to a glare for a few seconds then decided to change the subject. "We should start making dinner soon or we'll never get to eat." 

I led my half daughter to the kitchen where she promptly started raiding cupboards and the refrigerator. After pulling out noodles, tons of vegetables and a variety of spices, she put me to work peeling and washing while she prepared the noodles and chopped like a master chef. We avoided speaking for several minutes, both silently doing our jobs. It was a comfortable silence, but I was still glad when Sakura broke it. "So Eriol, is there anything you would like to talk about? I'm happy to listen. Besides, food preparation is considerably more fun when you have conversation." 

I shook my head and chuckled. "You know, sometimes I think you spend a little too much time with me. You occasionally say things that make me think I'm talking to myself." She raised an eyebrow at me, causing me to curse under my breath. She knew I was avoiding the topic. I sighed. "Yes, I–" Well here goes nothing. "I want to talk about Tomoyo-chan." This earned me another raised eyebrow. 

"Since when do you call her Tomoyo-chan? I thought she was forever Daidouji-san to you" 

"Never to her face; never out loud." I could swear I was almost blushing, but I never blush. "Please don't tell anyone about this. If word got out…I'm sure…" 

"Don't worry father dearest, your secret's safe with me." I knew it was anyway. Sakura was actually great at keeping secrets. 

I was about to unload everything on her when the doorbell rang again. I put down the carrot I was peeling and excused myself. She smiled and told me to go ahead because she could do it faster herself anyway. "I'll be in the library if you need me, Sakura-chan." I left her in the kitchen as I thought about how popular I was today. 

My third trip to the door had me guessing exactly who was on the other side. I quickly hid Sakura's aura, hoping my cute little descendant hadn't noticed she was here. I opened the door and greeted him in the usual manner, "Hello, my cute little descendant. What a pleasant surprise." 

He gave me his 'don't call me that' look as he entered. I must have glanced nervously at the kitchen – even though I was never nervous: almost never nervous. He switched to his usual smirk and 'reassured' me, "Don't worry, old man, I'm not really here looking for her. I won't even tell the girls that she was here. Then again, I might not even tell them that _I_ was here." 

"Eriol, who is it? Do they want to stay for dinner?" Sakura's voice rang through the halls. Syaoran must be hiding his aura or else she would have kept quiet: she never notices it when it's partially hidden or if she's upset. Of course, I wasn't going to tell her who it was; she'd run away at top speed and we'd never get to eat. 

"Just an acquaintance that's here for some business." I turned to look back at my Chinese 'relative' and continued, "He may join us if dinner is ready before he leaves." 

I watched as the smug look on his face – I'm sure he was thinking 'Eriol? She just called him Eriol,' – was replaced with a scowl. "You want me to eat with you and her? She hates me! She still calls me 'Li-kun' and she calls everyone by his or her first name. Even you, and everyone else calls you Hiiragizawa." 

I turned around and headed towards my library with my cute little descendant following me. This too, was ritual. We talked in the library with magic books to distract us. It seemed more like idle chitchat then and less like baring your soul. "She doesn't hate you, Syaoran. She's scared of you and she believes that you hate her, but she doesn't hate you." I gritted my teeth and steeled myself before continuing. I was about to do something I had vowed never to do: tell somebody about someone else's problems. "And she's mad at you." 

"Why? I haven't done anything to her, unless it's about the math homework, but she usually shrugs those comments off." He really believed she had no reason to be mad at him. "Besides, we should be mad at her: she's the one who keeps leaving." 

"And comes here to cry." Syaoran looked at me, shocked, and then closed the book he had been leafing through. This was too serious for idle chitchat. "She wants friends, Syaoran, not people who will try to shelter her from life itself. She's mad at you for not letting her think for herself when capturing the Cards, for protecting her and not letting her get hurt. She's mad at all of you for taking her life away. When it gets to be too much for her, she comes to me and gets it out of her system." I grinned, "Then she makes me dinner and tries to make me talk." 

My descendant's face had softened while I spoke. "She hides it so well. She's always smiling and happy whenever she's around people. I never would have guessed she's upset with all of us. How often?" He looked at me as he asked; I could almost see sorrow in his eyes. 

"This is the fourth time this week. I never used to be so frequent until a month ago when Mei Lin called her selfish and told her they couldn't be friends anymore. If I remember correctly, Sakura begged for Mei Lin to forgive her and gave up some things she loved so she could be at Mei Lin and Tomoyo's disposal. Now, enough about sweet Sakura-chan, what brings you here?" 

"Mei Lin sent me out to search for Sakura. I'm sure it was just to get me out of the apartment so she could go on a date." He picked up his book again and started flipping through the pages. "She's going to leave me, too. My own fiancée is going to leave me just like the rest of my family." Syaoran has desertion problems. His father died when he was very young, then his family sent him to Japan with a mission. When he failed to get the cards from Sakura – Mei Lin took a liking to her and wouldn't let him hurt her friend – his family disowned them both. "Anyway, I figured it was futile to look for her when I know Tomoyo already tried, so I came here." 

"I see. You won't be all alone. You'll still have friends, even if she does break the engagement. Why don't you join us for dinner and we'll prove it to you?" 

"What? And give the Sunshine of the Universe a reason to feel uncomfortable in her safe place? I don't think that's a good idea." He looked almost disappointed as he finished speaking, then he seemed to change his mind. "Then again, how can I find out that she won't leave if I don't stay?" 

"You've got a point, cute descendant." I glowed inside as he glared at me – my day truly was complete. "Now about this 'Sunshine of the Universe,' do you mean it?" He looked at me, confused, opening his mouth to answer a few times but closing it again immediately after. 

Finally, he answered me, "In a way, I suppose. It always seems that when she smiles, the world appears brighter. It's like her happiness makes the sun shine brighter. The girls noticed it too; it's why they try to protect her so much, to keep her happy. But lately, it's just been cloudy. Sakura appears to be her same cheerful self, but the sun doesn't respond." 

I nodded to his observation, showing I agreed. "I noticed that too. Today, I mentioned it to her. When she cries it rains. That horrible downpour we had today mirrored her tears. She glossed over it mostly, but I have a feeling she'll think about it. We should keep an eye on her; we don't want this to get out of control. Anyway, you will –" 

I was interrupted from confirming Syaoran's presence at dinner by a knock on the library door. I opened the door to reveal Sakura, waiting to tell me dinner was ready. I let her in as she spoke, "Eriol, din –." Her eyes fell on Syaoran and she froze. Both of us could see the fear that crept into her face. Outside, thunder rumbled, causing her to jump and adding more for her to be afraid of. 

My cute little descendant moved first. He walked up to her and put a hand on one of her arms. "Sakura, there's nothing to be afraid of. I only came to talk to Hiiragizawa, not to drag you home. Or worse: to Tomoyo and Mei Lin. I never wanted to scare you or hurt you and I'm sorry if I did. Really, you don't have to be so tense." 

"But the thunder. I hate thunder." 

He smiled at her. I did a double take; my cute descendant smiled at a girl! "I'm sure if you ignore it, it will go away. Why don't you try it while we all go eat dinner." With that, he slid his arm through hers and led her to the kitchen where she had set the table for four people. "Four?" 

Sakura nodded to him. "One for Eriol, one for his guest – you –, one for me and the fourth one…" she turned her head and a sad smile crossed her lips, "I always set a place for my mother, even if she can't eat with me." She sighed. 

Syaoran nodded in response. "My sisters and I used to set a spot for my father before I came to Japan. My mother would reprimand us occasionally, but I think she liked it too. I would still do it, but Mei Lin thinks it's foolish." 

"Really? I don't think it's foolish at all. Neither does Eriol, he always lets me set a place for my mother." As she spoke, she bustled around my kitchen finding everything she needed for a fifth place setting. When she found everything, she handed it to Syaoran with a bow. "There Li-kun, now you can set a place for your father," she said as she motioned him towards the table. 

He grimaced as she said his name, but she didn't notice. As he set the table, he spoke to her. "You know Sakura, you shouldn't call me that. All our friends call me by my given name, I don't see why you don't." He turned to look at her as he placed the cup on the table. 

"You never allowed me to." Her voice was soft, carrying a slight hint of pain that made Syaoran regret all those years of being less than civil to her. I could feel it from where I was standing. 

"You're so friendly and informal with everyone, I didn't think you'd need permission," he turned his head away as he spoke. I couldn't figure out why until he added one last word, "please?" It was something I rarely heard coming from his lips, the closest thing he had to pleading. And here he was using it on a girl who thought he hated her; a girl whom he thought hated him no more than an hour ago. 

Sakura knew he rarely used that word, she had commented on it once. She stared at him, shocked at his request. When he finally looked back to her for an answer, she spoke. "You mean you don't hate me?" 

My cute little descendant shook his head. "I might have been angry with you at first for being chosen the Card Captor, but you handled yourself so well, I realized that you deserved to be." He looked at his feet and continued talking. Usually, I would be the only one besides Mei Lin to see him even slightly unconfident. "I hated you for a couple days after my family disowned me; I blamed you. Then I blamed Mei Lin for befriending you: if she hadn't, I might have done my job. Eventually, I realized it was my own fault and I stopped hating you and Mei Lin, I hated myself." 

While they had been talking, I served dinner for the three of us and poured tea into the five cups. It struck me that the two seemed to understand each other better than anyone else did. Maybe Tomoyo had been wrong; they might be good for each other. I decided to hold off comment for a little while longer and let them talk. 

"You shouldn't hate yourself Syaoran, it's not right." His head snapped up when Sakura spoke, she had used his given name. "Now, we should probably sit down and eat before dinner gets cold." She forced him into a seat and sat beside him while I sat at the head of the table. 

Syaoran looked at Sakura with hope in his eyes. "Does this mean that we're friends?" 

"On one condition," she smiled as he looked at her questioningly. I laughed, knowing full well what she really wanted. "Talk to me, trust me, tell me stuff." 

"That sounds more like three conditions." 

"No, it's all part of the same one. I want to be treated like a friend, not be protected and sheltered like I have been. I can't grow up if I'm constantly treated like a child." 

"Okay, if you call me Syaoran and stop running away every time I join you girls for a picnic, I'll call it a deal." 

Sakura held out her pinky finger, "Promise?" 

Syaoran laughed as he hooked her finger with his. "I thought Tomoyo said the 'pinky promise' was babyish and didn't mean anything." The laughter switched to seriousness as he continued, "But I do promise." 

"Good, because I still believe in it. Now let's eat! I haven't eaten since breakfast." 

"This is more like it. Sakura usually cooks enough to feed an army. When it's just the two of us, I have leftovers for a week. Now, I hope it'll all be gone in a couple days." I hoped her good mood wouldn't shift on me; it was nice to see a genuine smile on her face again. 

She mock glared at me before retorting, "I'm used to cooking for Kero too. He eats enough for two armies." She took a few bites before turning back to me. "So Eriol, aside form my cooking abilities, is there anything you would like to comment on?" She slipped easily back into the routine even with Syaoran sitting there beside her. 

It was my turn to talk, but I didn't really feel like revealing what was on my mind at the time. I did the next best thing: I lied. "I was just thinking. If you two start confiding in each other, I'm going to lose half of my visitors. Really, I take you in, I listen to your problems and in return you go and run off with the first person you meet here. What am I going to do? If this keeps up, I'll lose all my friends." I didn't mean it and they could tell. 

Sakura was trying hard to stifle her giggles as she answered. "We won't leave you without any friends; unless, of course, you don't want to play basketball with me tomorrow? I'm sure I can find new friends to play with. But then, I'll have to make you talk about Tomoyo-chan tonight." 

I hadn't quite realized how evil my sweet half-daughter could be. I immediately acquiesced, "I'll play tomorrow, don't worry. Yamazaki is in too. Syaoran?" I looked to my descendant and he agreed with a small nod. "Good, it's a plan, we'll play during lunch." The three of us continued to chat as we ate, all thinking that things were looking up. At one point I glanced at the empty seats and caught a glimpse of two figures smiling at their children. I could tell they were proud of them. 

Sakura cleaned up after dinner. I would have helped like I normally do, but she sent me off to talk to Syaoran. "It is inappropriate to leave guests to entertain themselves." Of course, when I asked why I could leave her to do the work, she merely stated, "I'm not a guest. I have my own room." Then she unceremoniously kicked us out of the kitchen. 

Seeing that we lost, we retreated to the library where I started looking for new things to teach my other half's daughter. I was flipping through a book of spells when my cute descendant's voice interrupted me. "Don't teach her something new; teach her control. We don't need huge, destructive thunderstorms when she's scared and angry." Smart kid, must come from my side of the family. After that, we spent our time thinking of ways to teach her control without her thinking we believe she has none.   
  


**Mei Lin**

Just shy of and hour after she kicked us out, she came looking for us. "Kitchen's clean. I'm on my way home now. See you guys tomorrow and don't forget the game at lunch." She turned to leave and made it just past the library door before we stopped her. 

"Oh no you don't!" I called as Syaoran grabbed her arm. "You're not walking home by yourself in the dark. And don't think even for one second that we would let you, missy. Syaoran will walk you home – all the way to the other side of your door." They both started to protest. Sakura that she could too walk by herself and Syaoran that she wouldn't want his company. I looked at them like I meant it, "No arguing and I'm calling Touya so he'll be expecting you. I'd go myself, but I'm expecting a call." I pushed them out the door then called Touya and sat down to wait to hear from Mei Lin. 

Two minutes later, the phone rang. It had to be Mei Lin; it was her turn and she rarely ever _visits_ to discuss things. I answered the phone and found my prediction proven correct once again. We started our conversation as we usually do – with small talk, lots of small talk. First we talk about homework and school, then about what's new around town. Occasionally we discuss current fashion trends too, anything to avoid the true topic for a little longer. We eventually end up with the weather. It's our signal to begin the serious conversation. Mei Lin started with it this time. 

"So Hiiragizawa, what did you think of all the rain we got earlier today?" 

"A little wet, but at least I wasn't caught outside in it. I hope you didn't go on that picnic this afternoon – you would have gotten soaked." 

"Oh, I went all right." I could hear the disdain dripping from her voice. "We all went, but Sakura ran off before it started. It's like she can sense those storms – she always runs off before they start and never warns us about them. She's so selfish, she doesn't even help the rest of us get the food out of the rain." 

"So she just gets up and runs away before the rain starts? Could there be another reason she runs, Mei Lin?" 

She paused a moment before answering. "Well, this time, she might have run because Tomoyo told her that she shouldn't concern herself with our personal lives. Sakura was prying in to a private conversation we were having before she showed up." I raised an eyebrow at the telephone, knowing full well that she couldn't see me. "We were sorting through one of my problems when she showed up. She may have overheard something, but we couldn't have told her what we were talking about. Really though, we couldn't there was _no way_ we could tell the 'epitome of innocence' what we were talking about." 

"Would you be able to tell me what you were talking about?" I asked even though I already knew what the answer would be. It's always the same, you'd think she was obsessed, but that's not it. 

"Xiao Lang. Isn't he my only problem?" I almost laughed; she's been calling Sakura a problem for ages now. "I know he feels that I'm all he's got left so he's worried about losing me, but sometimes it feels like he's suffocating me. I thought that if we found him another girl, he might leave me alone and I could have a chance at being happy." I made a little noise to let her know I was still listening. "I still think getting him a girlfriend would be the solution. That 's what we were discussing. We went through a list of girls we knew before I suggested Sakura. I'm sure she didn't hear that, but she could have heard what Tomoyo said after." She paused and I interjected. 

"And what would it be that Daidouji-san said to your suggestion?" 

"She said it would never work. Sakura is too sweet and innocent or naïve. She thought they'd be all wrong for each other. She's probably right; Xiao Lang's too rough. He'd probably do something that would hurt her or completely change her outlook. She's got too much power. I don't know what would happen if she stopped being innocent." 

"I wouldn't worry about that Mei Lin, she's tougher than you think. She's just a little sensitive at times. That doesn't mean I'm saying you should try to set them up._If_ they manage to find their way to each other and _if_ something happens, it may not be a bad thing, that's all." 

"Maybe. Anyway, Sakura asked what we were talking about and Tomoyo told her we were discussing math homework. I thought she bought it, but after Xiao Lang came, she asked again. Of course, Xiao Lang ruined our cover by telling her there wasn't any math homework. Then she had to pry. We couldn't tell her in front of Xiao Lang and I couldn't come up with anything else, so I snapped. Tomoyo backed me up, then Sakura left." 

"Not to sound stupid or anything, but why couldn't you just tell her in the first place?" 

"She's too innocent. She wouldn't understand. I can just hear her saying, 'But Mei Lin, you should just be thankful you have someone who cares about you. You could be all alone. If he leaves you, you might be. I'm sure that's not what you want.'" She even mimicked Sakura's voice. "I don't need her to tell me that. She just doesn't know what it's like. She never could." 

"Have you ever thought about trying to tell her? She might understand more than you'd expect. You'll never know until you try." I had to stop myself there; any more and I'd be telling Mei Lin all of Sakura's problems. I couldn't so that, not twice in one day. 

"No, but I will. Maybe if she knows what we're going through, she wouldn't be so selfish all the time." She continued to tell me all about how 'Xiao Lang' wouldn't leave her alone for another hour, then left me to my peace. I hung up thinking that I need a change. Routine was great – you knew what to do – but this was too much. I wouldn't last much longer. 


	2. Broken Traditions

**Disclaimer:** Possession is 9/10 of the law. So, if I'm possessed by a CCS character, does that mean I own 9/10 of him (or her)? It was worth a try…   
  
  


_Emergence_

Chapter 2: Breaking Tradition 

The doorbell rang and Touya ran to answer it even though he had an uneasy feeling about it. It's not like he thought there was a violent stranger on the other side. No, Touya knew exactly who it was: it was _him_. The boy, who, he was sure, had been making his sister miserable for years. Of course, Touya had to be nice to him because Eriol had _sworn_ that the brat was going to help Sakura. 

Touya sighed and opened the door, 'At least I was warned.' Foregoing the customary glare, he let the boy in. "You're early, Li; Sakura's still in bed. Why don't you wait in the kitchen while I go wake her up?" He didn't even wait for Syaoran to answer before he turned around and headed for Sakura's room. All thoughts of the despised boy were forgotten as he plotted something very evil: waking up his little sister. 

Syaoran put down his books and took off his shoes, all the while looking around curiously. He never really paid attention to anything the few times he had been in the Kinomoto house. It was very homey – he could tell a family lived here. It almost hurt him, but he had spent years growing hard against his family, he wouldn't let them hurt him now. A small smile graced Syaoran's lips as he caught sight of a picture of Sakura and her brother. Anyone could tell they cared about each other even if they were always fighting. 

Feeling he had spent too much time invading their privacy, Syaoran decided to enter the kitchen as Touya had ordered. He was greeted by Sakura's father when he sat down. "Ah, Touya, why don't you go wake up Sakura. We don't want her to be late again. By the way, who was at the door?" Fujitaka turned as he finished and was startled to find a boy with chocolate hair instead of his son. 

Syaoran smiled shyly before he replied. "I'm sorry, Kinomoto-san, your son let me in. I believe he already went to-" 

"HOE! TOUYA, WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" 

"You're right, he did. Would you like something to eat? I made extra since food has a habit of disappearing in this house." Fujitaka offered a bowl of something Syaoran didn't recognize, but it smelled good so Syaoran agreed. 

"Yes, thank you," Syaoran accepted the plate as he took in a deep breath, savoring the scent. "I skipped breakfast this morning because I wanted to avoid Mei Lin." 

Touya walked in the room looking a bit shaken. He grabbed a bowl and sat down. "Is it just me, or does she get louder every day?" 

Fujitaka smiled, "Perhaps, but then again, I have a feeling that you go out of your way to aggravate her." He turned to Syaoran, who had been eating quietly. "So, Li-san, what brings you here? I thought you only came when Mei Lin-san and Tomoyo-san dragged you." 

Syaoran looked down, "Usually, yes. Hiiragizawa and I decided to attempt to get your daughter to school on time for once. We also have to have a little talk. I figured getting her up extra early would help since it would give us more time before school. Hiiragizawa figured talking on the way to school was the best bet because we wouldn't run into Tomoyo and Mei Lin." 

Touya looked at the boy quizzically, and then mumbled, "I thought you were the silent type." Of course, the kitchen was small enough that both Fujitaka and Syaoran heard him. 

Fujitaka gave his son a reprimanding look while Syaoran failed to hold back a snort. "With Mei Lin and Tomoyo around, I am. I can't see how even Sakura can get a word in edgewise when those two get going." 

"When who get going?" Sakura had entered the room in time to catch the end of Syaoran's comment. 

"You're not part of this conversation, monster." 

The foolhardy Touya was awarded for his effort by a sharp kick to his shin and a glare, compliments of his little sister. "And I didn't ask you." 

Sakura turned to Syaoran, expecting an answer. He took a moment to study her and noticed that she was completely ready, 'even showered – her hair is still a little damp,' even though her brother ate only half his breakfast. "Your brother thought I was the silent type." He looked away from her, "You got ready quickly." 

"Practice. I've actually got time to sit down today." Sakura looked at her brother as she sat, "Everyone's the silent type when Tomoyo-chan and Mei Lin are around. I bet you think Eriol-kun is normally quiet too?" Touya nodded. "Silly brother, Eriol-kun has way too much to say to ever be considered quiet." 

Seconds later, the doorbell rang again. Syaoran checked for auras and smirked. "Speak of the devil; I have a feeling this particular demon has blue hair and glasses." 

"That's no way to treat my other half," Fujitaka admonished lightly as he rose to answer the door. "Although I must admit he plots far more than I do. Why don't you two finish getting ready for school while I let Hiiragizawa-san in? Touya, you had better hurry or you'll be late for work." 

Syaoran laughed as Touya spat out whatever he was drinking and rushed to get ready. It nearly reminded him of a cyclone. He leaned closer to Sakura – which earned him a glare from the still-moving Touya – and murmured, "I take it it runs in the family?" 

Sakura responded with a giggle, "It comes from my mother's side." She then slowly picked up her lunch and led Syaoran out the front door. Of course, she paused once to turn to her brother and call out, "See you later, Touya! Don't trip on your laces on the way to work." 

The young man instantly looked down to check on his shoe laces, which caused him to trip over his own feet. He sent a glare to Sakura as he got up and shouted back, "I hope you have a math test!" 

She quickly replied, "We didn't have any math homework." This reminded her of the incident the day before and she shuddered before turning to Eriol to greet him with a grin. 

The shudder didn't escape Syaoran's notice, but it did make him feel guilty. He put a hand on Sakura's arm which caused her to turn around. Her face held a look that clearly asked what he wanted in a way only Sakura's face could ask. Syaoran responded with a look that asked if she was okay. 

Sakura laughed. "I'm fine," she stated as she looped her arm through Syaoran's. "Come father dearest, or we'll be late." She slipped her other arm around Eriol's and started walking. 

Syaoran followed Sakura's lead and started walking as well, but after only a couple steps, they both stopped and turned to face Eriol. He was just standing there – mouth slightly agape – with a stunned look on his face. 

"Were you two just communicating mentally? I didn't think wither of you could do that…" Eriol began to worry that they really would leave him behind if they became better friends. 

"Of course not, Hiiragizawa! Sakura just has a really expressive face." 

"Then why was she the one to answer out loud?" 

"Because Syaoran-kun has one too. Now come on Eriol-kun, let's make it a sunny day." Once again, Sakura started walking only to be held back by someone not moving. 

The two boys looked at each other over Sakura's head, wondering if that meant she believed she did have control over the weather. 

"Um---Sakura?" Syaoran started as they began to walk again. "What exactly do you mean by that?" 

She looked up at him, then to her left at Eriol. "It means I want to make this a good day instead of one of my normally horrible days." She looked at the two boys again. "You don't really believe that I have control over the weather, do you?" 

Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Syaoran spoke quietly, "It rains when you cry. It's always cloudy and you're always sad. It thunders when you're scared. And right now…" all three teens looked up to the sky, "it's sunny. How do you feel today, Sakura?" 

A small wind picked up around the three magicians; a lonely cloud drifted in front of the sun, and Sakura's brow creased as she tried to hold back her anger while she thought. Moments later, she smiled. The cloud disappeared and the wind died as suddenly as it started. In a low whisper – almost as if she was scared to say it – Sakura timidly said, "I'm happy." 

They stopped to let her words sink in. 'Right now she's happy and it's su-' 

Syaoran's thought were cut off as Sakura let out a shout of joy and began jumping around. She let go of both boys as she bounced around yelling "I'm happy!" 

She flew into Eriol's arms with enough force to send them twirling around – Sakura's legs flying out behind her. "I'm happy, Eriol! I'm happy!" 

"And I'm happy for you, Sakura-chan," Eriol said as he gave her an extra hug and set her down. "My daughter should always be happy." 

She smiled up at him, and then continued with her bouncing and yelling until she reached Syaoran. He, of course, had been expecting her to jump on him in much the same way she had done to Eriol, so he braced himself. Sure enough, she flew into his arms in the middle of an "I'm happy." Her force left Syaoran slightly unbalanced, but he recovered quickly since he had been prepared. 

Before Syaoran's mind fully registered that the girl was embracing him, she leapt off him. The two stood a couple feet apart, staring in to each other's eyes. This continued for a full minute before Sakura whispered, "I'm happy." 

"That's something to be excited about," Syaoran said as he stepped towards her and took her hand. "Now let's see what we can plan to keep you happy all day." He took a few steps forward, gently pulling Sakura behind him, then turned to look at Eriol, "You coming, Hiiragizawa?" 

"Of course," Eriol replied as he draped an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "I wouldn't miss your scheming for the world." 

The three teens continued on their route to school, all the while plotting the day's course of action. Today was the day they were going to start giving Sakura back her life. There may be a few bruises along the way, but Sakura didn't mind at all – it would be worth it.   


Tomoyo walked into the classroom and scanned the students for her friends. She noted that her corner of the classroom was empty. She had expected Sakura to be late, but her other friends should be there by now. Her eyes swept to the other back corner – she was still looking for her friends. A grin spread across her lips as she noticed who was at the centre of attention bock there. "Hey guys, I'm sorry to ruin your fun, but can I steal away my girl here?" 

"Aw, come on, Tomoyo, we were in the middle of somethin'. Can't you wait until Mei Lin's done?" 

"Sorry boys, but we've got things to discuss before the teacher gets here. You wouldn't want us to get in trouble for talking during class, would you?" 

The guys laughed, "Of course not, Tomoyo. Go ahead and take her, but we want her back at break." 

Mei Lin got up while slapping a few hands away, then followed Tomoyo to their seats. "So Tomoyo," she asked as they sat, "what's today's topic?" 

Tomoyo's eyes twinkled as she laughed. "Why last night, of course. So how did it go?" 

"Great. We went to a movie, and then walked around for a while before he took me home. It was different than my other dates. This one might be the one, Tomoyo. He wasn't as forceful or all over me as the other guys were." 

Mei Lin turned to look at the guys in the opposite corner and Tomoyo followed her gaze. Tomoyo noticed as the guy Mei Lin went out with the night before grinned and winked at Mei Lin before he went back to talking to his friends. Mei Lin giggled, and then turned back to Tomoyo. 

"It seems as though he likes you." Tomoyo watched Mei Lin closely and was pleased to note that her friend smiled. "So what did Syaoran say when you returned home? I mean, I'm sure he doesn't approve of you sneaking out to date some guy when you're technically still engaged to him." 

Mei Lin frowned, "Don't remind me of that. I'm not going to marry him. It's not like we love each other. He's just scared that everyone's going to leave him alone since his family rejected him." 

"Yes, but what did he say?" 

"That's the thing: nothing. He wasn't home. He didn't get home until just after I went to bed and then he left early this morning before I got up. It's almost like he's trying to avoid me, but that would be crazy. I'm the one who did something wrong; I should be the one avoiding him." 

Tomoyo sat there looking stunned for several seconds before she glanced around the room again. "I thought you said he left before you this morning." 

"I did," Mei Lin nodded as she spoke. 

"Then why isn't he here? For that matter, where is Hiiragizawa-san? Those boys are always early." 

"What would you want those boys for when you've got a man like me, Tomoyo-chan? You're not thinking of trading me in for four-eyes, are you?" An arm draped around her shoulders as the voice spoke close to her ear. 

Tomoyo turned around to find her current boyfriend looking at her in mock pain. She laughed and playfully slapped his cheek. "Of course not. He might be a gentleman, but I'm sure he can't cook." 

Tomoyo's quest to find the perfect guy was well known around the school. She was pretty and popular – not to mention rich – enough that most guys had made an attempt to be 'the guy' in her life. Many of them got dumped rather quickly when they tried to get a little too personal. Of those who knew better, every one had been dumped because he couldn't cook. 

"Well, I assure you _I_ can cook. My mother forced me to learn because she needed a break every now and then. Now the real question, Tomoyo, is 'how good is your memory?'" 

Her eyes grew rather large as she looked up at him. "What do you mean by that?" She was worried she had forgotten a birthday or something. 

"Well, it's just that you went through an awful lot of guys recently – five guys in two weeks. I've lasted three days, but I have to ask: do you even remember my name?" He didn't really care if she didn't remember his name. He was just happy he could call her 'his' until something happened. 

Tomoyo astounded him by looking at him with sheer confidence. She puffed up her chest, put her hands on her hips and boldly stated, "Of course I – " '…don't.' 

For once, Sakura's timing was perfect. "Tomoyo-chan! Mei Lin!" She cut Tomoyo off as she entered the room smiling. "I'm so sorry about yesterday! I remembered something I had to talk to Eriol-kun about right away. I hope you managed to leave before it got too wet outside. That was quite a storm." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she sank into her seat. 'It's a good thing Eriol told me his cover story. I'm sure Tomoyo-chan would ask questions." 

Mei Lin leaned over and whispered, "Great timing Sakura. You just saved Tomoyo's butt." Sakura gave her a questioning glance and was rewarded with an answer for once. "She doesn't remember his name." Mei Lin pointed at the boy draped over Tomoyo. 

Sakura looked at them and shuddered, wondering how Tomoyo could put up with it. Mei Lin noticed the shudder and commented, "I know. It's awful, isn't it?" If Sakura had looked at Mei Lin, she would have seen the small smile on her friend's lips as the girl remembered something that happened to her earlier that day. 

She snapped out of it quickly enough, though and began to ask questions. "You know Sakura, you're here earlier than usual." Sakura just shrugged. "You didn't happen to see Syaoran on the way, did you? He's practically been missing since yesterday. He came home last night – but late – and then he left early this morning, but he's not here yet. I haven't seen him since he went looking for you." 

"You didn't have to send out a search party, I was at Eriol-kun's." Sakura said casually as she watched Tomoyo flirt with her boyfriend. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were worried about him. But I'm sure you sent him to look for me so you could go on a date." Syaoran had told her about Mei Lin's little trick. "So I know you're not too worried." Sakura turned her head to look at Mei Lin, "How was it?" 

Mei Lin's mouth hung open for a second. "Fine. But how did you…?" 

"I know things, Mei Lin. I'm not as dense as you and Tomoyo-chan think I am." 

Mei Lin noted that Sakura didn't mention Syaoran, but figured that she just refused to acknowledge his existence since they didn't get along. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned from her thoughts to find Tomoyo asking a question. 

Sakura looked back to Tomoyo, only to notice Syaoran entering through the door behind her friend. She caught his eyes and nodded with a smile. He wanted to know if Mei Lin talked about him while he was absent. He returned her nod with a smile and a wink which didn't go unnoticed by Tomoyo's boyfriend. 

It was well known that Li Syaoran had a standing threat against any and all of Tomoyo's boyfriends. Several guys had come out worse for the wear after Syaoran caught wind that they had tried to take advantage of her. This particular boyfriend, although he had done nothing wrong yet, saw that wink and thought it was meant for him. With visions of himself in a body cast, he immediately left Tomoyo's side and fled to the protection of his friends – all of whom have been on the receiving end of Syaoran's wrath. 

Syaoran noticed Sakura working hard to stifle her giggles. He raised an eyebrow in question of her actions and she merely made a face at him. 'I'll have to ask her what she found so funny later.' 

After Syaoran sat, Mei Lin turned around to talk to him. "Where have you been? You left way before I did this morning and I've been here for ages." It wasn't like Syaoran to leave without Mei Lin in the morning. It's not that he's clingy; he just doesn't like being reminded that he's almost completely alone. "And where is Hiiragizawa? He's always here before Sakura." 

The young man merely shrugged. "I had something to take care of. You asking because you actually _wanted_ to walk to school with me?" He accompanied his question with a glance towards the guys Mei Lin had been talking to earlier. "I'm not stupid Mei Lin; I do know what you're doing. Then again, it's not like you work hard to hide it." Syaoran flashed his cousin an evil grin, "And I'm not Hiiragizawa's keeper. Ask him where he's been." 

The shock on Mei Lin's face was priceless. Syaoran was pleased with the reaction. He'd known about Mei Lin's flirting and dating for a long time. He put up with it because she was the only family he had left. Normally, he would expect more from his fiancée, but he knows she's just reaching out for someone else to care for. After all, she lost her family – her life – too. Still, he had decided that she wasn't going to be the one controlling everything from now on. If Sakura could make changes, he could too. 

Tomoyo turned to face her friends when Syaoran finished speaking and caught Mei Lin's shocked face. She gave Syaoran a 'you shouldn't have said that' look before she even bothered to open her mouth. It didn't affect him at all. She sighed, then spoke, " You haven't seen Hiiragizawa-kun today either? That's strange. I thought he always harassed you on your way to school, or at least that's what Mei Lin said." That comment resulted in a glare sent to Mei Lin. 

"If you're so interested in him, Tomoyo, why don't you go look for him? I'm sure he'd be thrilled to find out you actually care about him." 

Tomoyo frowned at the sarcasm in Syaoran's voice. She didn't like that he was insinuating that she was interested in Eriol. Sure they got along well enough, but she couldn't see anything that set him apart from all the other guys. He never showed interest in her, so why should she show him any? 

Sakura tried to hide her smile as she sent Syaoran a reprimanding look. "I think, Tomoyo-chan, that what Li-kun was trying to say is that there is no reason why he should know any more about Eriol-kun than the rest of you. Though now that I think about it, I do remember him mentioning something about having to talk to a teacher this morning. He's probably been at the office all this time and we just didn't know." 

As Sakura finished speaking, just a minute before class was to begin, Eriol entered the room while talking to their teacher. Tomoyo noticed her video camera in his hands as he thanked the teacher and headed to his seat. 

"Well if it isn't the blue-haired demon with glasses." Syaoran muttered as Eriol walked by. 

This prompted a giggle from Sakura as she defended Eriol. "I don't think my father appreciates you referring to his other half as a demon. Besides, if you were his keeper, that would make you head demon." 

Eriol smirked. 'That girl is far smarter than the others give her credit for.' "That reminds me," he held out the camera to Sakura, "this is for you to use during our project." He, Sakura and Syaoran had decided that he should give the video camera to Sakura when class started so the girls wouldn't suspect anything…yet. 

"Thanks, Eriol-kun!" Sakura beamed up at him as she took the camera and removed the lens cap. Inside was a note reminding her to talk to Chiharu. "I could have used this earlier this morning, I noticed a few interesting things." She aimed the camera at Tomoyo and Mei Lin to record their reactions to her comment. Had they been looking closely, they might have noticed the small smirk that passed her lips. 

Mei Lin's usually controlled demeanor slipped for a few seconds as she registered what Sakura said. 'Does she really see and know more that we think?' The bell rang to signal the beginning of the school day, but Mei Lin barely noticed as she wondered of the rest of the day would be this messed up. Everything was weird: Sakura was behind the camera while Tomoyo was in front of it for once; Syaoran and Hiiragizawa _both_ arrived after Sakura – who was early. 'Something's different about Sakura, I hope this isn't the beginning of something awful.' 

As Mei Lin continued to drift through her thoughts, their sensei started taking attendance. Tomoyo, Eriol, and Sakura all had no problems responding to their names, but "Li Mei Lin" was followed by a long pause. Starting with Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Sakura, heads turned towards Mei Lin. Each face held a similar astonished look – Li Mei Lin never missed her name during attendance. 

Finally, as if Mei Lin just noticed the silence, she lifted her head up and flashed a grin. "Hai, Sensei." 

The sensei merely shot Mei Lin one of those 'you know you did something wrong' looks before ticking off Mei Lin's name and calling out "Li Syaoran." 

Syaoran looked up from his textbook to answer, then smirked at his cousin as he went back to reading after letting out his own "Hai, Sensei." 

Mei Lin's attention drifted again as the rest of the class continued its discussion on behavioral traits. It seemed to her that something was going on and her friends were keeping her out of the loop. About halfway through the class, a mention of an assignment – more like project – pulled the Chinese girl from her thoughts. 

Suddenly, something clicked, 'Hiiragizawa, camera, Sakura, assignment.' Mei Lin's head snapped up for the second time that morning. "So Hiiragizawa had been in the office this morning. I guess he knew what he and Sakura were doing for their project already." 

Just after their sensei gave the order to start working on the term project, Sakura left her desk to talk to Chiharu. Tomoyo watched her friend walk right by her and felt a bit disappointed. "That's odd," she whispered, "she usually talks to me when we have projects." Just as Tomoyo was about to rise and follow Sakura, she felt a tug on her sleeve. 

Tomoyo turned around to find Mei Lin with her hand still on her sleeve. She met her friend's questioning look and nodded to let her know that she was okay. At the same time, Tomoyo noticed that Mei Lin wasn't quite herself. She filed that thought at the back of her head – something to bring up during lunch – and tilted her head to question what her friend wanted. To her surprise, Mei Lin pointed to Syaoran, who twirled his finger in the air to symbolize the three of them and said, "Role reversal." 

To the two girls, there was too much confidence behind those two words. They both stared at him, trying to figure out when and why he came up with role reversal as a topic. Mei Lin was just about abut to comment on how much chaos that could potentially cause when Tomoyo spoke up. 

"Oh! That could be fun!" She turned to face Mei Lin again as she continued, "One of us could switch with Sakura-chan and maybe she's understand how she's behaving." The two girls didn't worry about Sakura overhearing their plans because she was too busy talking with Chiharu, Takashi and Eriol. 

Class was just about over when a voice cried out, "I can? Oh my gosh, Chiharu, you're the greatest!" Then, as though Sakura just realized that she was still in class, she lowered her voice, "I was sure you had replaced me by now. I figured you wouldn't want me back." 

Chiharu grinned, "Of course we want you back Sakura. We were trying to get along without replacing you because we all wanted you back instead of someone else." The girls giggled at the admission while Eriol and Takashi just sat there, happy because the girls were happy. 

"I can't wait to tell Syaoran! It was his suggestion. And I can't wait to see the looks on Tomoyo-chan and Mei Lin's faces. That'll be great!" 

"Um, Sakura," Sakura interrupted her friend's rambling, "if you don't mind my asking, what's going on with you and Syaoran-kun? You've both been acting weird today." 

"Oh. Well, ah…" Sakura paused to look around and make sure that Tomoyo and Mei Lin weren't listening. "We've decided to put everything behind us and become friends. As for acting a little differently, it's part of our 'Liberation from Bad Things.' We're both trying to make changes that will make us happier. I think Eriol-kun should too," she shot a look at Eriol that clearly said, 'you know what I mean,' "but he says he's perfectly content to help the two of us. Anyway, class is over; can we go get my uniform now?" Sakura concluded as they packed up their notes and books. 

"Of course," Chiharu replied as she grabbed Takashi's arm. "Come on Takashi, let's go get Sakura's uniform so she can wear it to practice after school today." The three teens left the room after waving to Eriol as he walked to the window. 

Syaoran took a tiny glance out the window before watching Mei Lin join the group of guys in the opposite corner. He frowned in distaste as Mei Lin playfully slapped hands away before sitting on one guy's lap. Syaoran made a mental note to find out who that was as he left the classroom in search of Sakura and company. Sakura's outburst gave him an idea of Chiharu's answer, but he wanted to make sure. 

Eriol and Syaoran exchanged small, barely noticeable nods as Syaoran left the room. They didn't really hate each other like everyone thought, it was just an act for appearances sake. 

After Syaoran left, Eriol went back to examining the sky. It was a bright, sunny day with only one white, fluffy cloud to mar the endless, beautiful blue expanse. He smiled to himself, knowing that Sakura was happy, as he shifted his gaze to the reflection in the window. He watched Tomoyo as she read through her notes and made corrections here and there. Pain filled his eyes as he saw her 'boyfriend of the week' wrap his arms around her and kiss her neck. It was then he chose to leave the room.   


Sakura bounced down the hall as she prattled on in her happiness. Chiharu and Takashi laughed at her giddiness as she bounced around with her uniform held close to her chest. "This'll be so great. It'll be just like old times. I'm sorry I ever quit. And I promise I'll be on- Syaoran!" She took off down the hall, leaving Chiharu and Takashi in her wake. 

Takashi turned to Chiharu and asked, "She promises she'll be on Syaoran?" Chiharu shrugged in response, but they both understood when they saw Sakura launch herself at the boy in question. "Oh. _Syaoran_. As in, he's here. She probably meant to promise that she'll be on time." 

When the two teens caught up to Sakura, she had already released Syaoran and was running his ears off as she had done to them. "And they hadn't replaced me yet, I can't believe it! We just went to get my uniform, see?" she flashed the uniform at Syaoran quickly before hugging it again. "And it's my old one so it'll fit perf-" 

Syaoran clamped his hand over Sakura's mouth to stop her from talking. She contemplated licking his hand in an effort to get him to remove it, but settled for glaring at him. He grinned and leaned in close to one of her ears, "If you don't stop talking now, you'll make us all late for our next class." Then he removed his hand. 

Sakura grinned sheepishly as she responded, "Oh, right." 

Her friends laughed at her reaction as they slowly made their way to the opposite end of the school to prepare for their next class before the bell rang. 

Syaoran pulled Sakura back to allow Chiharu and Takashi to walk ahead of them. He glanced down at Sakura before he spoke, "Congratulations, I know this means a lot to you." 

They both stopped walking and Sakura looked up at Syaoran as she replied, "Um, thanks." She smiled rather shyly as she realized that she didn't really know Syaoran that well. The two of them stared at each other for several seconds before Syaoran broke the connection by turning his head. 

He looked back at the vivacious girl and grinned. "You know, that's twice you've jumped on me this morning. You should be more careful or I might start liking it." 

Sakura looked up at him with a fake surprised look plastered on her face. "You mean you don't like it _now_?" Her voice dripped with both fake innocence and fake hurt. "I'm shocked, I thought you enjoyed holding me." 

Syaoran stood there, stunned, for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter. "Do Mei Lin and Tomoyo know how evil you really are, Sakura? They've been trying so hard to protect your innocence and here you are doing a perfect imitation of Hiiragizawa. Well, except that you're female." He took a few seconds to look over Sakura fully, making sure that she knew what he was doing. 

It was Sakura's turn to laugh as she slapped his arm and started walking to class again. "Careful Syaoran, if Mei Lin finds out you act like that, she might actually want to date you instead of those losers." 

"Heaven forbid," Syaoran chuckled as he followed Sakura to class.   


The girls didn't find out that Sakura had rejoined the cheerleading squad until just before lunch break. They were all in a class together again – including Chiharu and Takashi – when Mei Lin started making plans for the afternoon. "So at lunch, we can discuss what we want to do this afternoon. How's that sound, Sakura?" 

Sakura turned away from the class assignment she was working on and bluntly said, "I can't." 

Mei Lin sucked in a breath, 'Sakura doesn't say no it us,' and let it out slowly before saying anything else. When she thought she was calm, she asked, "Can't what? You weren't very specific, Sakura." 

"I can't discuss anything during lunch, I promised Eriol that I'd play basketball with him. Besides, you know that my opinion doesn't count when you and Tomoyo-chan make plans." Sakura smiled a little as she started playing with the video camera that Eriol had given her earlier that day. "Why don't you ask Li-kun to sit with you?" 

Syaoran hid his surprise as Sakura suggested they sit with him. 'She knows I'm playing basketball too. And she called me Li-kun again. Oh well, let's see what she's got planned.' When Mei Lin asked him, he merely smirked and replied, "Can't. I promised Hiiragizawa that I'd play basketball with him and Takashi during lunch. Doesn't matter anyway. I've got soccer after school." 

Tomoyo sighed and turned to Chiharu before Mei Lin could cause a scene, "You want to sit with us for lunch? We can watch them play basketball." 

'I bet that basketball game is another part of their 'Liberation From Bad Things' plan,' Chiharu thought as she smiled. 'That should be worth seeing.' "Of course , I'll even tape it for you," she grabbed the camera from Sakura and started filming Tomoyo and Mei Lin. "I was going to watch Takashi play anyway. But I can't go this afternoon, I've got cheerleading practice." 

"That's okay, you can help us plan and Sakura will do whatever we decide, right Sakura?" Mei Lin asked as she turned her focus back to Sakura. 

This time, Sakura didn't even bother to look up as she said, "Can't." 

Mei Lin started to look annoyed as she slammed her pen down on her desk and asked, "What do you mean by 'can't' this time?" 

Sakura still didn't look up as s he responded, "I've got cheerleading practice." She knew Chiharu was taping their reactions for her. She, Syaoran and Eriol would watch it later. She was saved from Mei Lin's inevitable outburst by the sensei's announcement that class was over. She grabbed her things and called, "Gotta go, " over her shoulder as she rushed out the door. 

Both Tomoyo and Mei Lin sat there. Stunned by Sakura's admission. Finally, Tomoyo managed to stumble over the words she was trying to ask, "Di-did sh-did she just say she had cheerleading after school?" 

Syaoran replied as he, Eriol and Takashi packed up their things, "Yes. Yes she did." 

"How would you know?" 

Syaoran shrugged his shoulders at his cousin as though to say 'simple,' "She already told me." Then he and the other two boys left to follow Sakura. Chiharu was close behind them after giving the girls an apologetic smile. 

When they were alone, Tomoyo leaned closer to Mei Lin and whispered, "They're not even friends. Why would she tell him anything before she told us?" It was almost as though she was scared to ask. 

"I don't know Tomoyo," Mei Lin replied as she packed up the notes she took that period. "But I do know one thing: something's going on and they're not telling us about it. They're hiding something and I'm worried about what will happen to Sakura. All this secrecy could corrupt her and then Xiao Lang and Hiiragizawa will have to clean up her mess. They might even have to fight her and I don't want that." She picked her books up off her desk and stood up, ready to leave, as she finished rambling. 

"Relax, Mei Lin," Tomoyo placed a hand on Mei Lin's arm in an attempt to sooth her. "She's not corrupted yet, we've got plenty of time to stop it before it happens. Besides, Syaoran's very powerful too, how do we know he won't be corrupted by his power and try to take over the world or something?" 

Mei Lin glared at Tomoyo, thinking, 'Are you trying to make be feel better or worse?' "Xiao Lang's a Li. He won't get corrupted because he's stronger – more sure of himself – than Sakura is. She's too timid. She might let her power lead her. She may be like family, but I can admit that she's not good at making decisions. Eventually, she'll make a wrong one." 'If she hasn't already.' 

"Eventually. Not today. We really should get going, Chiharu will get mad at us if we make her watch the game by herself." 

Tomoyo swept out of the room, leaving Mei Lin to follow her to the outdoors basketball courts where their friends would be playing. When the girls arrived, they found Takashi, ball in hand, discussing with Eriol and Syaoran who would be on which team. 

"I want Syaoran on my team," Takashi voiced as Mei Lin and Tomoyo sat beside Chiharu. 

"Good," Eriol replied, "I was going to call dibs on Sakura anyway." He ignored the look that Takashi sent him as he reviewed the plan for the game. He just hoped that Sakura and Syaoran remembered their parts. 

"Are you sure it's wise to call Sakura?" Chiharu called out as Sakura stumbled over her feet while on her way to the court. Mei Lin sent her a scathing look for insulting her friend, but Chiharu merely shrugged and said, "She can handle it." 

Eriol laughed as he shouted back to Chiharu, "You'd be surprised; Sakura's actually an excellent basketball player! Besides, I play to win." His bravado was cut short when Takashi threw the basketball at his head. 

"Since you've got the handicap, you can start – not that it'll matter, Syaoran and I are still going to win." 

Sakura slapped Takashi on the shoulder, "It's very kind of you to take Eriol's lack of skill into consideration, but you might have knocked some ability into him." Eriol glared at Sakura as she told Takashi to go guard his man. 

As expected, Tomoyo had a spare camera trained on the teens on the court. What Tomoyo and Mei Lin didn't expect – or notice – was that Chiharu had the 'project' camera aimed at them in order to record their every reaction to the happenings on the court. Sakura had led her to believe that something unusual was going to happen and that Tomoyo and Mei Lin would be very shocked. 

The game went rather well until it appeared that Syaoran got tired of losing to Eriol and Sakura. Sakura had just passed the ball to Eriol when Syaoran grabbed her from behind. She let out a little shriek for show, but inside, she was smirking. 

Mei Lin let out a cry of protest which stopped Eriol and Takashi from their face off in front of the hoop. "Let her go Syaoran, that's against the rules!" 

"Who said we were playing by the rules?" 

Mei Lin let out her own shriek at this point, and then continued to yell at Syaoran. "Let her go! You're probably hurting her!" Her yells were beginning to attract attention, but most students passed it off as another of Mei Lin's fits. Those who did clue in to what Mei Lin was yelling about stopped what they were doing to watch the scene. 

"I'm not hurting her!" Syaoran had turned his head away from Sakura so he wouldn't be yelling in her ears. "I'm just holding her captive!" Of course, after defending himself to Mei Lin, he turned back to Sakura and quietly asked, "Am I hurting you?" 

Sakura laughed softly as she relaxed in Syaoran's hold a little. "Of course you're not hurting me, Syaoran. Actually, I'm almost comfortable, somehow. You do know that I could break away if I wanted to, don't you?" 

"I figured as much, but it's not in the script." 

"Speaking of scripts, shouldn't you be making your demands?" Sakura leaned back into Syaoran, thankful that his back was turned to Tomoyo and Mei Lin – she knew what they'd be thinking. "Li-kun, why don't you just let me go, we've got a game to play!" 

"Not until Hiiragizawa gives up the ball and lets Takashi score a little. We're too far behind to let you play for a while." Syaoran made sure he was loud enough for the girls to hear him. 

"Don't listen to him Eriol! You can hold Takashi-kun off until lunch is over, then we've still won." 

Eriol stood beside Takashi, holding the ball. "Considering we're on time out until he lets you go, I think I can hold him off until the next game." 

"Syaoran! That's blackmail. Just let her go and continue with the game. It's boring either way." Mei Lin was beginning to get a little impatient. 

Syaoran smirked and quietly whispered to Sakura, "Good to know, Mei Lin hates basketball." 

"I'll keep that in mind," Sakura giggled. "This is the third time you've had your arms around me today. Are you sure you don't enjoy holding me?" 

There was a small pause before Syaoran answered, "I'll have to think about that a little longer. In the meantime, Hiiragizawa's glaring at us." He turned his head to look at Eriol who was indeed glaring and continued speaking only louder so everyone could hear him. "Fine, keep the ball. I'm getting hungry so I'll let the captive go – if she kisses me." 

The cheers for the end of the stand-off turned immediately to exclamations and shouts of protest as everyone realized what Syaoran had said. 

Sakura held up her free hand and yelled, "Stop!" It had the desired effect on everyone as they all ceased talking. "If that's what it's going to take to end this game so I can eat before class, then that's exactly what I'm going to do." 

She turned around to face Syaoran and he moved their bodies so no one could tell if they were faking. Neither heard Tomoyo's comment about this being Sakura's first kiss and a very unfair thing to do. Both heard and ignored Mei Lin's shout of, "If you make her go through with this, I'll never talk to you again." 

"Ready?" Sakura nodded and placed one hand in Syaoran's hair to pull his head closer. In return, Syaoran placed one hand on her right cheek to hide the fact that their lips didn't touch. 

After a few seconds of the staged non-kiss, Sakura pulled away and shouted, "I'm free! Eriol, shoot!" Eriol had been waiting for that and took a shot. "Two points! We win, now let's eat." 

Syaoran wanted to laugh, but didn't dare, "Cheater." 

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him before replying, "No more than you are." 

The four of them joined their friends beside the court. They all sat beside Chiharu instead of Tomoyo or Mei Lin and Sakura placed herself between Eriol and Syaoran. As they quickly ate, Syaoran frequently stole food from Sakura's lunch. 

Mei Lin sighed in frustration before reprimanding her cousin, "Syaoran, stop picking on Sakura, I think you've done enough for today." 

"Ha! I knew you'd talk to me again." No one mentioned that Sakura had packed extra food for Syaoran. 

Just as they finished eating, the warning bell for the end of lunch break rang. After packing up, the seven teens went their separate ways to their last classes of the day. 

Class was rather uneventful plan-wise since Tomoyo and Mei Lin didn't share their class with any of the others. With nothing else to entertain them, the two girls spent the entire period trying to sort out what triggered their friends' odd behavior. In the end, both girls decided that everything would be back to normal the next day and maybe they should just ignore everything that happened today. Their decision didn't stop them from trying to talk to Sakura one last time. 

Their attempt to talk sense into Sakura before they went home was foiled by the group of girls surrounding her at her locker. The endless chatter concerning Sakura's return to cheerleading was too much for Tomoyo and Mei Lin to bear, so they left the school feeling mystified at Sakura's sudden swing in behavior. 

The crowd around Sakura parted to allow Eriol through just after Tomoyo and Mei Lin left. He draped as arm over Sakura's shoulders and started walking. "I've got a few things to do so I can't stay and watch you practice, but you are welcome to drop by when you're done so we can work on homework. I may not be back so you can just let yourself in. Syaoran will be coming too." 

Sakura nodded her acknowledgement before pulling away to enter the girls change room. Just before the door shut, Sakura looked back at Eriol and asked, "Today went rather well, didn't it?" then disappeared from sight before Eriol could respond. 

Considering that Sakura was out of practice and consequently slightly out of shape, she faired rather well at practice that day. They had spent most of the previous practices reworking their routines without Sakura so there wasn't anything new for her to learn – they just went back to the old routines. She held up for the first hour, but the last half hour was a little too much for her. 

The girls all decided to stop a few minutes early to watch the soccer team finish up their practice. It was all Sakura could do to pack up her things and walk to the field. By the time she joined the other girls, the practice was essentially finished. The coach shouted out some end of practice orders, then dismissed the boys to do as they pleased. A number of the team headed for the change room. The rest, Syaoran included, jogged towards the girls and their bags. 

It turned out that Sakura and sat down beside Syaoran's book bag. When he arrived, he reached down and grabbed his bag with one hand, then offered the other to Sakura to pull her up. He grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself steady after she was standing. 

"See, now who likes holding who?" He asked jokingly as he ignored the looks they were getting. After making sure that Sakura had her own bag, Syaoran directed them both towards the school gates. 

"No one, I just can't stand straight on my own." 

"So what you're saying is you need my help? I can't help pointing out that walking like this is a little awkward. You should at least turn around so you can see where you're going." 

"Just stop at that bench over there and I'll put my blades on." Sakura pointed behind her with one hand while still holding on to Syaoran with the other. Walking backwards was a little awkward for her, but she was in no condition to walk on her own. 

Syaoran obliged and even sat her down before sitting beside her to wait while she exchanged her sneakers for roller blades. Half way through fastening her left blade, she started laughing. "You know, this time yesterday, I would have been walking away quickly if you had sat down beside me." 

"True. You might even today, but you're too exhausted to." He hauled her off the bench after she finished, and then handed her backpack to her. 

She looked at him and asked, "And yours?" 

"Actually, you're going to carry it." 

"I am?" Sakura quirked an eyebrow as though to say 'maybe you should rethink that.' 

"Yes, you are." Without saying anything more, Syaoran grabbed his bag and slipped it on Sakura's left shoulder. While still holding on to her left arm, he turned around and placed her left hand on his left shoulder. He then grabbed her right hand and placed it on his right shoulder. "Now hold on and you won't have to worry about being tired." 

Syaoran practically dragged Sakura to Eriol's home even though he was nearly as worn out as she was. The two talked and joked on their way, almost making up for the years of friendship they missed out on. 

When they arrived, Sakura unlocked the door and they let themselves in. They made quick work of removing their footwear, and then Sakura jumped on Syaoran's back. He carried her to the sitting room where they both collapsed on the nearest sofa. 

After a few seconds, Syaoran rolled over so he was facing Sakura who still had her arms around his neck. "It is kind of funny to think that this time yesterday we were quite sure we hated each other." He noticed that Sakura wasn't very stable since he turned over, so he wrapped his right arm around her to keep her from falling. 

Sakura shifted a little and turned her head so she was facing the windows. "No, no, Syaoran. Too tired to think." She closed her eyes as she let out a small yawn and shifted again. "You know, you're almost as comfortable as a bed." She stifled another yawn. "I'm taking a nap now." 

Syaoran adjusted the cushion behind his head as he responded, "You do that then. In fact, I think I might join you since it looks like I'm not moving." His left arm slipped off the edge of the sofa as he adjusted his position a little and closed his own eyes. "If we're lucky Hiiragizawa won't be home anytime soon."   


When Eriol did arrive – just over half an hour later – Sakura and Syaoran were still asleep in the sitting room. "And here I was hoping they'd be working on meditation. At least they look comfortable." Eriol was muttering to himself as he crossed the room. He looked at them one last time before attempting to wake them up and wondered once again if maybe Tomoyo was very wrong in thinking they would be bad for each other. 

He shook off his thoughts, and then reached down to wake Sakura up first. Eriol paused moments before shaking her awake and switched tactics. An evil grin spread on his face as he moved to wake Syaoran up instead. "Come on cute little descendent. Wake up and go shower." 

True to Eriol's expectations, Syaoran jumped as he woke up. The movement beneath her woke Sakura up as well. Unfortunately, her jump of surprise landed her on the floor. 

Sakura groaned as she sat up, "I'm up, I'm up. You could have been nice and woken me up first, you know." 

Eriol worked hard to hide his laughter as he replied, "I thought about it, but then I decided that in terms of overall pain, this was the safer route." 

Syaoran, who was helping Sakura off the floor, looked at Eriol as he voiced his opinion, "Thanks for your concern for my potential pain, but Sakura looks ready to kill. I would run if I were you." 

"Mmm, I would like to kill, you know. But, I'm a little tired still so it'll have to wait until later." 

"Good. Now, you two both need a shower so get going while I figure out how to clean off my sofa. I don't see why you didn't shower before you left the school." He wrinkled his nose as he looked at his squashed cushions and thought about how much sweat they left behind, "When you're done, we'll eat something and then work on meditation." 

Sakura and Syaoran climbed the stairs, both complaining about the lack of bathrooms on the main floor. As they parted ways at the top of the staircase, Sakura muttered, "At least I don't have to cook today." 


End file.
